Other NI News In Brief

Christening Celebrated

A baby Malayan Tapir from Belfast Zoo, recently named as Harapan, last week met, Nichola Henry, who named her. Henry was the winner of a competition organized by the Zoo, which attracted contestants locally and from such distant countries as USA or Singapore as well. Malayan Tapirs are endangered with only 50 in European zoos, 150 in the global zoo population and less than 3,000 in the wild. 'Harapan' means hope in Indonesian so it fits well with this tapir, whose breeding and birth represents the 'hope' for the continuity of this species.

Police Honoured

Attending the annual National Police Memorial Day Service, which this year was held in St David's Hall, Cardiff, NIO Security Minister, Paul Goggins has paid tribute to all police officers in Northern Ireland and also remembered those who lost their lives whilst serving their community. The calibre and dedication of the officers who selflessly serve all the people of Northern Ireland is a credit to those who wear the uniform, Mr Goggins MP said: "The people of Northern Ireland are served by some of the best police officers in the world, whose courage and dedication is second to none. I pay particular tribute to all those brave men and women who selflessly gave their lives performing their duties in Northern Ireland."

Transfer Power Now: SF

The Sinn Féin spokesperson on policing, Alex Maskey has said that securing the transfer of powers was vital in building on the policing advances made in recent years and ensuring that further community confidence was built in the policing service. "The key to ensuring that the transformation of policing from the failures of the past to a new era based upon accountability, transparency and partnership is the community having the confidence in the policing structures and the PSNI being seen to be an effective and impartial service. We are determined to see this process succeed. All the parties must ensure the speedy transfer of powers while the PSNI clearly must do their job in a manner which gains community support instead of alienating people," he said.

River Body Recovered

The body of a man has been found in Coleraine. The remains - thought to be of a man who had been in his 40s - were recovered from the River Bann just after 11.20am on Sunday morning. It comes following a report that a person had entered the water at Bannside Wharf last Sunday.

Be Age Aware: BMA

At the start of Age Awareness Week, Dr Brian Patterson, Chairman of the BMA's NI Council has called for equality of care for the elderly. He said: "There must be equity of access to healthcare for all older people, yet this could become more challenging in the current financial climate." He related that doctors treat people throughout the course of their lives, and strive to give the best care possible to older people in our society. "I sincerely hope that older people's healthcare services are not seen as an easy target for future cuts that will be made here," he said. "It will be unacceptable to doctors if older people are forced to wait for treatment."

Irish Education Celebrated

Northern Ireland Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, has attended the 20th anniversary celebration of Naíscoil Mhic Reachtain. Speaking at the event in Duncairn Avenue, Belfast, the Minister said: "It is a pleasure to be invited here to celebrate 20 years of the Naíscoil in north Belfast. I believe it is essential that children are given the opportunity to learn Irish at an early age. Irish medium education is the fastest growing primary sector in the north and I hope the children here progress from the Naíscoil to Bunscoil and then to Irish-medium secondary education," she said.

(BMcC/GK)